The Milwaukee Wave: Indoor Soccer Success
The fragmented world of professional soccer in the United States can be a little difficult to follow. Falling well after football, baseball, basketball, and hockey on the list of popular team sports, soccer takes its place as America’s fifth choice. Despite this low-status relegation, and perhaps because of it, following indoor soccer in Milwaukee can be an remarkably enjoyable local pasttime.
Milwaukee’s professional men’s soccer team, the Wave, are part of the Major Indoor Soccer League (www.misl.net), winning the league crown as recently as the 2004-2005 season. Professional soccer leagues with various names have come and gone over time, but the MISL traces its history back to 1984 with the formation of the American Indoor Soccer Association. The Wave was one of the original AISA teams and began playing at the Milwaukee Auditorium, also using the Bradley Center for a period of time.
Now hosting visiting teams at US Cellular Arena, popularly known the “the Cell,” the Milwaukee Wave are finally in a long-term location that is appropriate for their attendance figures. Indoor soccer at the Bradley Center felt sparsely attended due to the venue’s large size, and the Wave did not have scheduling priority when compared to the Bucks (NBA) or the Admirals (AHL). With a seating capacity of about 9500, US Cellular Arena is a cozier fit for the Wave.
The Milwaukee Wave is one of six active MISL teams.
Baltimore Blast
California Cougars
Chicago Storm
Milwaukee Wave
Philadelphia Kixx
Saint Louis Steamers
A seventh team, the Kansas City Comets, went inactive for the 2005-2006 season but may return in the future. Running from October until April, the Major Indoor Soccer League season consists of 30 games for each team.
Led by veteran coach Art Kramer, a veritable soccer scholar with nearly 25 years of professional playing and coaching experience, the Milwaukee Wave are comprised of both international players and hometown soccer stars. Though not as recognizable as players from the Green Bay Packers or Milwaukee Bucks, the men of the Milwaukee Wave are more accessible to their fans, regularly participating in community events around the metro area. For details on the team, including player statistics and the schedule, check out their website: www.milwaukeewave.com.
Tickets for Milwaukee Wave home games are inexpensive: just $12 can put you in the “cheap seats.” If you want to be closer to the action, the VIP seating is only $20. It would be impossible to attend a Green Bay Packers game for this price, so consider indoor soccer as a fun alternative to football during the snowy season. There’s something to be said for indoor sports during the tough Wisconsin winters.
Like other professional sports teams, the Milwaukee Wave offer various promotions and season packages, including an excellent “Kids Club” that will make any little kicker feel like a big star. All jokes about being a “soccer mom” aside, taking children to a Milwaukee Wave game is a great way to expose them to a sport that often gets overlooked on American television. The team even puts its name behind some reasonably affordable summer soccer clinics and camps (starting at $125).
In these days of almost obligatory corporate sponsorship, the Wave have been able to attract the support of some large Milwaukee-based corporations, as well as a number of smaller companies. Notably, Miller Lite and Midwest Airlines appear on the list of official sponsors (as of November 2005).
So what about the game itself? If you’re not familiar with indoor soccer in the United States, here are some of the specifics:
�· There are four 15-minute quarters.
�· A tie at the end of the fourth quarter is resolved by sudden death overtime.
�· Each team can have five players (two defenders, two forwards, and a midfielder) plus a goaltender on the field at a time.
�· Power plays occur on blue or red cards given for penalties and ejectionable offenses.
�· Balls may be bounced off the boards.
�· The goals are not conventional nets but rather boxes recessed from the edge of the field
The complete rules of the game available from the www.misl.net website.
With the relative instability of indoor soccer league teams, the Milwaukee Wave have been a success story in a town that is usually distracted by its beloved Packers and Bucks. The Wave are well worth a visit to the US Cellular Arena. After all, they are the most recent professional sports team in Milwaukee to garner a league championship!
